So I lost my cell phone.... help me pick a new one

[gashin]

This is the first time I lost one but it was just the cheap ones they include for free with family plans. Can anyone suggest a good Verizon wireless phone? I'm looking for something that costs ~$100 or so with at least some web/wifi capability.

Thanks!
Kevin

 

[lordmage]

gashin,

may i suggest this lovely service for you search efforts Free Cell Phones with New Cell Phone Plans - Shop Deals from Wireless Carriers - Wirefly.com
it helped me say so much money thur the years.

 

[Bandit]

Sorry to hear that you're on Verizon, that cuts out the primo choice: iPhone 3GS. Wife and I both have them (owned iPhones since the original launch phones) and have never had a better phone. Been through 'em all too, at least one phone per year... these things simply WORK, and do so long-term unlike any other I've owned.

Nice to have all the extra toys on them as well, but talking strictly of phone quality... best we've had. Maybe a switch to AT&T is a possibility for you?

 

[Jules22871]

I have the LG ENV2 from Verizon and I love it. You may be able to find one in your price range on Ebay. Also, if you had insurance on your phone they will replace it for $50.

 

[Dredbull]

If you are not to partial to VZW you should check Sprint's new any mobile any time out.

Also please stay away from wirefly unless you like having your bill and plan gone over by knuckle draggers who then have access to your personal info.

 

[sgupta]

If you want something nifty and iPhone-like with lots of great features, I also suggest looking into the LG ENV series (either Touch or regular). Mine's the Touch with the touch screen (which is actually a lot cooler and more usable than I thought it would be - I was a bit afraid of going Touch but don't regret it in the least). Had a few issues with pocket dialing, but putting it in your pocket upside down pretty much eliminates that. You have to choose ringers carefully as some are not very loud. Those are my only two minor complaints, though. Overall, having had 4 or 5 phones before, this one is by far my favorite because of its speed, reliability, call quality, full web browser, camera, and full keyboard for texting which is soOo much nicer than trying to dial it out. And it's almost as slick as the iPhone. ;o)

 

[OutWest]

be sure to check slickdeals.net and fatwallet for any special deals going on. That's how I got a heck of a deal on my cell phone in sept of 07. $99 and one year contract for a phone that was normally $200 and two year contract.

 

[Fr0st8it3]

If you want something nifty and iPhone-like with lots of great features, I also suggest looking into the LG ENV series (either Touch or regular). Mine's the Touch with the touch screen (which is actually a lot cooler and more usable than I thought it would be - I was a bit afraid of going Touch but don't regret it in the least). Had a few issues with pocket dialing, but putting it in your pocket upside down pretty much eliminates that. You have to choose ringers carefully as some are not very loud. Those are my only two minor complaints, though. Overall, having had 4 or 5 phones before, this one is by far my favorite because of its speed, reliability, call quality, full web browser, camera, and full keyboard for texting which is soOo much nicer than trying to dial it out. And it's almost as slick as the iPhone. ;o)

Agreed... I have my LG Touch and Ive never had a better phone...

BTW if your looking for a cheap starter...

Boost Mobile has $50 monthly un-limited everything...
Its all prepaid too so no contracts...
Had that before i switched... It was "ok"

 

[Dredbull]

If you are still unsure about rate plans, phones and stuff check out phonescoop.com they have a ton of info. Also if you have any questions you can drop me a PM. I normally check this site from work on my cell.

 

[gashin]

Thanks for the replies - it looks like the LG Env series is decent but Im looking for something with a qwerty board and GPS. I read the Boostmobile is crap - their service is cheap but people get no bars even in their homes and sometimes never get texts and emails or get them days later. T-mobile offers the cheapest internet/voice plans so far but I have to pay more for the phone than verizon wireless.

 

[Euphony]

I was perusing the Verizon site the other day and noticed some of their Blackberry's are decently priced, $150 is sticking in my head.

I have a Blackjack II that I really like through AT&T - as the name implies it's a rip of a Blackberry. Blackberry however has their own OS while the Blackjack II has Windows. Coming from a standpoint of a radio station I work for the streaming we realized became an issue for Blackberrys - Blackberrys do not play .wma files and that's what we stream. My Blackjack II does play all audio files. The Blackberry though has a nicer keyboard. I don't know what makes it nicer to tell you the truth compared to my Blackjack, I think the keys depress a little easier and perhaps there is better spacing. I used my co-workers Blackberry in testing .wma compatibility and fell in love with the keyboard.

Both keyboards are QWERTY, both have internet capabilities. I do love my Blackjack so when it's time for a new phone I could very well be torn.

Good luck, the right phone for you is out there!

 

[paulspikey]

I freaking love my Samsung Rugby....you could run over that phone with a truck and it will still work.

 

[Fr0st8it3]

My touch has a full keyboard... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSMuD-UtOEU

Verizon throws in GPS free with the pre. plan...

 

[gashin]

Blackberry's are very tempting for their ergonomics and messaging-centric design but what turns me off from them is that they lack 3G support which means a much slower internet compared with other smart phones. I played with my friend's Palm Pre today - it has a smaller keyboard than the blackberry but its internet, email, and online messenging features are amazing. You can have a browser, GPS, memo app, calendar, and all your messages from different services on a single client running at the same time and it's a breeze to switch between them. If im gonna be paying the same price for both a blackberry service and data services with unlimited data I want a phone that will take advantage of that data.

I was perusing the Verizon site the other day and noticed some of their Blackberry's are decently priced, $150 is sticking in my head.

I have a Blackjack II that I really like through AT&T - as the name implies it's a rip of a Blackberry. Blackberry however has their own OS while the Blackjack II has Windows. Coming from a standpoint of a radio station I work for the streaming we realized became an issue for Blackberrys - Blackberrys do not play .wma files and that's what we stream. My Blackjack II does play all audio files. The Blackberry though has a nicer keyboard. I don't know what makes it nicer to tell you the truth compared to my Blackjack, I think the keys depress a little easier and perhaps there is better spacing. I used my co-workers Blackberry in testing .wma compatibility and fell in love with the keyboard.

Both keyboards are QWERTY, both have internet capabilities. I do love my Blackjack so when it's time for a new phone I could very well be torn.

Good luck, the right phone for you is out there!

 

[gashin]

Yeah Samsung phones have good quality but I think they're lacking in the software department. The new Galaxy coming out might solve that since its going to have the Android OS but we'll see - the HTC Hero is coming out very soon and its supposed to be a killer...

I freaking love my Samsung Rugby....you could run over that phone with a truck and it will still work.

 

[gashin]

I read that the My Touch has some issues with speed and inaccurate typing - I think Im going to wait for the new Hero that lacks full keyboard but is the next generation of the Android phones. I'm deciding between that or the Palm Pre which has a full keyboard.
HTC - Products - HTC Hero - Overview

My touch has a full keyboard... YouTube - Lg Env Touch !

Verizon throws in GPS free with the pre. plan...

 

[Euphony]

Blackberry's are very tempting for their ergonomics and messaging-centric design but what turns me off from them is that they lack 3G support which means a much slower internet compared with other smart phones. I played with my friend's Palm Pre today - it has a smaller keyboard than the blackberry but its internet, email, and online messenging features are amazing. You can have a browser, GPS, memo app, calendar, and all your messages from different services on a single client running at the same time and it's a breeze to switch between them. If im gonna be paying the same price for both a blackberry service and data services with unlimited data I want a phone that will take advantage of that data.

Okay this I didn't know, I thought it was 3G. Well if you like the Blackberry the Blackjack is Samsung and it is 3G.

 

[gashin]

Oops I was wrong - apparently the newest Blackberry, the Tour, HAS 3G.... guess I have more options now!

Okay this I didn't know, I thought it was 3G. Well if you like the Blackbsserry the Blackjack is Samsung and it is 3G.

 

[chris2650]

I've got the Alias 2 from Verizon with an extended battery and it's quite remarkable, I charged the batt 10 days ago (light use) and still have 3 bars....

Just my $0.02

Chris

 

[gashin]

I finally had my problem solved for me - I got an HTC Touch Pro 2 for FREE on tmobile using the deal @ wmdeals.com. It has pretty good ratings, and Cnet has it at 4 stars - more than the Pre and equal with the HTC Hero, Blackberry Tour, and iPhone. It's a $450-$600 dollar phone without t-mobile's normal rebate which brings it down to $350. It's a pretty nice phone with the largest keyboard and screen of any smart phone, GPS, 3G, Wifi, mini-SD card support, great sound quality.... the only problem is that its running Windows Mobile. I wanted Android or any other linux-based phone like the Palm Pre but I couldn't justfiy paying $100-$200 for these phones when the touch pro 2 has the best keyboard and screen and I could get it for free. The phone is supposed to be a fat brick though because of the 3.6" screen and big keyboard but I couldn't just ignore all the features because of the size - it is supposed to be the best of the WM phones. I guess I'm biased against Windows because of the attractiveness of being able to customize everything with your own programming but then I discovered that there are even more customizations of Windows Mobile than Android at this point and there is a huge developer community that has released tons of apps and tweaks. Got a decent plan with it - 300 anytime minutes with unlimited web and messaging + full insurance coverage for loss, theft, damage for $71 a month with no activation fee.